Moulin Rouge! Standout Tam Mutu on Having COVID-19: 'People Don't Understand How Painful It Is'

During these uncertain times, Moulin Rouge! star Tam Mutu recently provided some joy in the form of an uplifting video chock-full of Broadway faves as well as some insight; he shared his experience being sick in the hospital with coronavirus on #LiveAtFive: Home Edition. Mutu told Broadway.com's Paul Wontorek he started feeling "funky" the evening before the Broadway shutdown. 

"My energy level was really low, and during the show, I didn't feel quite right," he recalled. "I got home and symptoms started. It came on quick. I went straight into fevers, headaches, streaming nose. Nights are the worst. You'd be in so much pain. It was almost like my joints were breaking. You went through all your clothes in terms of sweat. It was like the flu on speed. I don't think people actually understand how painful it is."

"I got to the point where my breathing started to change significantly. Then one night, I felt almost like an elephant was sitting on my chest," he continued. "Kristen, my wife, was getting more and more concerned. I did actually get really scared. At that point, we didn't have as much information as we do now. I was reluctant to go the hospital because I didn't want to go there and waste anybody's time."

Eventually, Mutu did check in to a hospital. "It got to the point where I just thought, 'Something's severely wrong,'" he said. The actor was diagnosed with pneumonia in both of his lungs. "I was in for a few days. It was hard to say goodbye to Kristen," he said. "You're in isolation, and that's it. I had my own nurse to start off with. By the time the day had gone and the evening came around, she said, 'It's literally carnage out here now. It's gone crazy.'"

Mutu praised the staff at New York Presbyterian Hospital. "They were absolutely incredible. From when I got in there to when I left, they were just so lovely and conscientious and helpful and kind, everything you expect in this sort of time," he said. "Hospitals are not exactly the jolliest of places, but I was really lucky." In Moulin Rouge!, Mutu plays the villainous Duke. He wants to make it clear that his COVID-19 experience can happen to anyone. "From the offset there's been so many mixed messages. People are still not sure what's true, what's not true. What to do, what not to do," he said. "It is serious. It doesn't matter what age you are. Everyone can get it. No one's special. It should be taken seriously."

Now that he is home and healthy, how has Mutu been spending his time? He said he has been enjoying watching Ozark and playing video games. Wontorek suggested the concept of a Moulin Rouge! video game. "That would be great. How high can you kick your legs?" Mutu joked. Mutu is optimistic for the musical's comeback. "I've spoken to producers. They're very hopeful that we're going to be back," he said. "I'm sure when we get back on stage, that first show will be epic." 

Watch the rest of Mutu's #LiveAtFive: Home Edition interview below.